By: Lauren Mason

This past weekend, the women’s wrestling team returned to wrestle at the Oregon Classic Tournament in Bend Oregon. The women brought 11 girls, and medaled in almost every weight class.

The tournament was an open tournament that included all ages. It was a great way for the younger generation to look up to the women’s wrestling teams, and be inspired for the future. With quite a few college teams in attendance, the Clan competed well against the other teams in the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA). Still standing as the number one team in the WCWA, they are preparing for their debut in Oklahoma this February. With only a few more tournaments until nationals, SFU will use this time to perfect their skills so that they can prove themselves as the best.

With standout performances from Alex Hedrick, Payten Smith, Lauren Mason, Alyvia Fiske, and Rebekah Trudel, who all placed in the top two of their respective weight classes, the women wrestled well to defeat most of their competitors they faced.

Coach Justina Di Stasio explained that “It was a good number of matches for the girls to have. First tournament back [after Christmas break] always shows the things we need to work on, so that’s what we will be focusing on this week; where we can get better.” The tournament showed some of the best techniques the women’s team has, and highlighted the things they need to work on. The coaches are excited for the coming weeks, and with nationals in just under a month, they are ready to work hard and be successful.

This Friday, the women’s team will host the first-ever women’s home dual against Grays Harbor College, and will look to show why they are ranked as No. 1 in the association. Wrestling starts at 6 p.m. in the West Gym.

Lauren Mason is a part of SFU’s women’s wrestling team.